1-3 Glass and Wrath: Burnt Offerings, Part Three
The PC's discover the carnage at the glassworks, rescue a prominent citizen and learn of an ancient evil below the town The Glassworks As official deputies, the PC's are asked to maintain a visible presence in town while Sheriff Hemlock is away to Magnimar. The second morning in their new role, they are approached by Bethana Corwin, a halfling maid at the Rusty Dragon - she presents them with a letter from Ameiko's estranged brother and informs them that she has disappeared. The letter suggests she was lured to the Glassworks. The Glassworks is found to be a slaughter house, with all of its workers slain and Ameiko's father Lonjiku Kaijitsu dead and his remains desecrated. The goblins that cavort within are switfly dealt with, and the villain Tsuto Kaijitsu discovered in the basement below. He escapes down the old smuggler's tunnels he used to gain clandestine entrance into town, but Ameiko is found and rescued. Tsuto's journal, left behind in his haste, reveals many things including the fact that Nualia Tobyn is still alive, that he had led the goblin raid at Nualia's direction, and that she plans the town's full destruction from the fortifications at Thistletop. It also reveals that the aasimar had recieved tutelage and indoctrination from a small demon priestess of Lamashtu she encountered when she discovered ancient catacombs beneath the town Catacombs of Wrath After ensuring Ameiko's safety and deciphering the journal, the PC's decide to descend into the tunnels below and investigate the catacombs. There they find an ancient facility of Thassilonian origin and within, a temple to the Goddess Lamashtu. Savage creatures known as Sinspawn are battled and destroyed, as is the monstrously malformed goblin champion Koruvus, and the souls of ancient prisoners released from torment of undeath. Finally, they encounter the demon Elyrium herself, a quasit who eluded their capture, but was unable to keep them from deactivating the Runewell they discovered in the temple. Sealing the little demon priestess within, they returned to the surface to regroup and plan their next move. Some debate was given to heading to Thistletop immediately and dealing with the quasit at a later date, but the return of Sheriff Hemlock from Magnimar and the assitance of the sage Brodert Quink forestalled that plan. Upon learning of all that had happened, Belor requested that they aid in ridding the town of the immediate threat below before departing to face Nualia. The next morning, the PC's returned to the temple below, assisted by the Sheriff and one of his men, armed with nets and a scroll of Glitterdust obtained from Brodert. The quasit summoned more of her demonic minions, bloated maggots of Abyssal origin, and sought to turn the minds of the companions against one another... but in the end she was enspelled herself, trapped and finally slain. Afterwards, Sheriff Hemlock grudgingly agreed to allow Brodert Quink 24 hours to study the Catacombs (under the watchful eye of a pair of guardsmen) while he and the PC's determined what was to be done next. It was decided that they would venture to Thistletop to seek out the threat at its source while he would remain behind with what men he had to fortify the town against a possible assault. Brodert took the time to tell them of what he had discovered - including an ancient map of Varisia from before Earthfall - and to educate them on what was known of ancient Thassilon and the Runelords that dominated it. It was postulated that the complex the PC's had found was an outpost of Bak-ra-khan, the nation ruled by the Runelord Alanzist, and may have been in some way tied to the Old Light. The presence of the temple of Lamashtu was unexpected and bore more study, as did the Runewell it protected. Category:Chronicle